


let us raise a loving cup (to celebrate our festive spirit)

by Bat_and_Breakfast



Category: Holby City
Genre: Berena Secret Santa 2020 (Holby City), Christmas Fluff, Established Relationship, F/F, countdown to christmas, this fic contains copious amounts of coffee and other beverages
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:40:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28169382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bat_and_Breakfast/pseuds/Bat_and_Breakfast
Summary: It’s the first day of December and Bernie Wolfe finds herself unable to make a decision: Should she take the eggnog latte (alcohol free, because this is still a place of work), the gingerbread cappuccino or should she go crazy and try the candy cane hot chocolate?
Relationships: Serena Campbell/Bernie Wolfe
Comments: 12
Kudos: 37
Collections: Berena Secret Santa 2020





	let us raise a loving cup (to celebrate our festive spirit)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sevtacular](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sevtacular/gifts).



> Dear Sev, I wish you a merry Berena Secret Santa event and hopefully some quality time to read and get into the holiday spirit this weekend. I hope you'll like the first part of your present. *raises her mug of coffee to you* 
> 
> Your prompts are:
> 
> * "But I want to try every limited edition Christmas drink... We didn't have them in the army."
> 
> * The song 2000 Miles by The Pretenders
> 
> * sparkles, decorations, warmth

It’s the first of December, and Bernie Wolfe has been standing in front of the Pulse’s drinks menu for what feels like an hour. It probably wasn’t, because Serena was only just getting her coffee right now, eyeing Bernie curiously.

“Everything alright, love?” Taking a first sip of her coffee, she steps next to Bernie, following her line of sight.

“Look at all the special holiday options,” Bernie says in an awed kind of voice.

Serena gives the menu a once over and shudders a bit.

“Awfully sweet if you ask me. You know that all I care about is-”

“Sure, sure - I know. Everyone probably knows by now.” Bernie gives her a lopsided grin, while Serena just raises her eyebrow at the interruption.

“You know what, I might just go and try them all.” 

Bernie resolutely steps up to the counter. Serena can only hope that she won’t order all of them at once, because an over caffeinated, over sugared Bernie Wolfe on the ward might just break her.

It’s the second of December, and Bernie Wolfe just ordered a white chocolate, caramel, and hazelnut latte. The elevator smells like a sweets shop and Serena watches Bernie carefully as she takes her first sip.

Bernie grimaces. Serena snorts.

“And how is your awful sounding Christmas special of the day? Are you back to drinking plain coffee by tomorrow?”

Bernie huffs and takes another sip.

“It’s not that bad.”

“Isn’t it?” Serena can’t help sounding mildly amused.

“You have to forget that it should be coffee and just handle it like hot chocolate, or something like that.”

“I see. Did you realise that they do Christmas specials for that, too? And special Christmas teas. I’ve even seen some fizzy drinks at the supermarket. Cinnamon Coke, I think - and a special holiday edition of Irn Bru.”

Bernie looks at her, brows furrowed.

“How would that even taste?”

“I don’t know. Maybe like the colour orange, but christmassy?”

“Huh,” Bernie just says.

“Huh indeed,” Serena nods.

It’s the third day of December, and after yesterday's disastrously sweet concoction, Bernie opts for a double espresso with a shot of low sugar cinnamon syrup, a combination called a “Christmas purist”. It’s actually quite good and not too sugary, which she’s grateful for, because Serena is watching her like a hawk, ready to tease her mercilessly about her foolish undertaking. 

The elevator doors open and they step inside, Bernie raising her cup to her lips to take another sip, only to find it empty. Ah, she thinks, of course there’s a downside to only ordering a double espresso.

It’s the fourth day of December, and Bernie Wolfe has had a day. Unfortunately, it’s only just eight o’clock in the morning, and the day is far from being over. A bad pile up on the motorway ended in several patients in critical need of trauma surgery, and she has done the best she can, so far saving all her patients.

When she comes back to their office, there’s a coffee waiting for her on her desk.

“It’s a Gingerbread Latte - enjoy! xx” the note attached to it says. Bernie drops into her chair, takes the coffee, spinning around as she takes a sip. It’s wonderful and warming, but she can’t say if that’s really the coffee, or more the note attached to it.

It’s the fifth day of December, and Jason comes up to Bernie when she’s once again standing in front of Pulse’s menu.

“Hello Auntie Bernie,” he smiles at her. “Are you waiting for Auntie Serena?”

“Hello Jason,” Bernie smiles back at him. “No, actually I can’t decide what I want to order.”

“Don’t you always take the same coffee as Auntie Serena?”

“I normally do, but I’m trying to taste all the different holiday specials they have. Might even branch out to other shops in my spare time - or try some holiday themed fizzy drinks.”

“So what’s next on your list?” Jason reads over the available drinks.

“That’s my problem. I haven’t made a list of what I drank before and now I wonder if I already had the eggnog latte, or if it was something else your auntie gifted me yesterday. It definitely was a latte.”

“Maybe you should ask her?”

“I can’t right now - she’s in theatre and it’s certainly not that important.”

“So how about you take something that isn’t a latte and ask her later? That way you don’t have the same drink twice.”

“Excellent idea, Jason. You know, I might go with a Holiday Chai, whatever that may be.”

“You also should do a list and cross off all the drinks you had. It sounds like a good idea if you are already struggling on the fifth day.” Bernie feels a bit offended, but has to admit that a list might be the way to go about it.

It’s the sixth day of December, and there’s a tray full of takeaway coffee cups that have been decorated to look like Santa sitting at the nurses station. Fletch is in the process of turning some of them around to read the writing scribbled on the sides.

“What’s this?” Bernie asks, sidling up next to him.

“This,” Fletch answers after scrutinising the cup he’s currently holding, “is apparently a candy cane latte. If it weren’t for the coffee, I’d say it sounds like something Mikey might like. Awfully sweet, I bet you.”

Bernie eyes the cup with a certain interest. She’s pretty sure that this wasn’t on Pulse’s special menu.

“So where did it come from?”

“Oh, remember the young man that had the accident - fell off his bike, needed surgery? Got visited by his girlfriend, who was having a hard time until Raf and Mo managed to calm her down? Apparently the girlfriend has a small café. She picked him up this morning to take him home and brought this lot with her. Lovely gesture, though I’m not sure I’m brave enough to try any of them.”

“Well, I’ll take this one,” Bernie grabs the dismissed candy cane latte and takes a first sip. She coughs. “It’s almost cold!”

“Well, the microwave is in the common room, Major. You know the drill - it’s not proper hospital coffee unless you reheat it at least twice and then decide to drink it cold anyway.”

It’s the seventh day of December, and Bernie has a day off. She sleeps in, stays in bed for a luxuriously long time, takes a long hot shower, and then doesn’t really know what to do with herself. The weather is awful; it’s grey and cold and she doesn’t want to leave the house. Especially not to go and get a coffee at a shop when they have a perfectly fine coffee machine at home. She sighs and starts to make herself a cup of coffee, opens the fridge to get the milk.

There’s a bottle of christmas Irn Bru sitting right next to the jug. It has a red and green bow tied around it and a note - “A special drink for a special woman. Enjoy your day off, darling. xx”

She drinks it later, with her lunch. It still tastes orange, but with added ginger.

It’s the eight day of December, and Bernie still hasn’t made a list. She told Serena about Jason’s advice to do so, then promptly forgot about it. 

She knows she hasn’t had any of the hot chocolates yet, so she decides on something called “Easy Mexican Hot Chocolate” to be on the safe side. It’s very rich, slightly bitter and spicy, certainly different from the hot chocolates she had as a child. If it had caffeine she might actually have found her favourite, but of course it lacks the desperately needed jolt of coffee beans. 

By the time she’s halfway through her shift she finds herself yawning and ready for a quadruple espresso, black, no sugar. 

“I have to make that list,” she tells Serena when asked why she didn’t buy a coffee in the morning.

It’s the ninth day of December, and when Bernie comes into their shared office, a caramel and hazelnut latte with an extra shot in one hand and a black coffee, no sugar for Serena in the other, she finds a carefully printed chart like a bingo card on her desk. It looks very festive in red and green, with some tinsel and snowmen added to it. On it are all the special drinks Pulse’s offers, plus the Irn Bru and some blank squares, probably to add her own extras. Some of the drinks are already crossed off. There’s a note attached:

“Dear Auntie Bernie, Auntie Serena told me that you didn’t have the time to make a chart yet. I made you this one and also crossed off the drinks Auntie Serena and I know you already tried. The blank spaces are for your days off. You can add the drinks you have on those days to them. Jason”

Bernie smiles, brushes her thumb over the chart, thinks of families found and how lucky they all are to have each other. Takes a pen lying on her desk and crosses off “Caramel & Hazelnut Latte”.

It’s the tenth, eleventh and twelfth day of December, and Bernie doesn’t go to Pulse’s once, because she and Serena have managed to take some time off together. They will have to work on New Year’s Eve as a compromise, but they don’t mind, both feeling like they will be more of help at work than being at home opening a bottle of bubbly around midnight. They booked themselves into a cottage - something cosy down in Cornwall.

It’s far away from their daily routine; luxurious and romantic, the interior all gleaming wood, colourful fabrics, a fireplace with a cozy sofa in front of it, and a bed that looks very, very inviting. The bathroom is like a miniature spa, including a sauna and a hot tub that makes Serena give Bernie quite the promising look. They explore the cottage, bring their suitcases into the bedroom and topple onto the bed in utter delight, smiling at each other.

“This was such a good idea,” Bernie says, her face buried into Serena’s hair, both of them cuddling into each other.

“A very, very good idea,” Serena hums before placing a kiss on Bernie’s neck.

“We should stay for a week. Month. Wait - why don’t we just stay here forever?”

“How about we stay right here for now?” Serena says with a smile in her voice and a twinkle in her eyes, swiftly turning around, Bernie suddenly lying beneath her, looking up at her. 

They stop for a moment, gazing at each other in wonder, as if all of this was new, as if they haven’t been together like this for quite a while now. And then Serena leans down to catch Bernie’s lips in a kiss, and there’s no further question that they will indeed be staying in bed for the foreseeable future.

Their time at the cottage is not solely spent in bed. After taking a shower and changing into fresh clothes, they drive to the next village, shop some local produce, have a look at some market stalls grouped in the community hall next to the church. Bernie buys a book from a series she’s always wanted to read, Serena buys a cute trinket for Elinor. They end up in front of the local tea shop, advertising Cornish mulled apple cider. Serena laughs as Bernie’s face lights up.

“Go on, love - let’s try it. I’ll even join you this time, because that sounds delicious. Do you want to get a table or should we take the drinks to go and continue our walk?”

“Let’s keep walking. I’ll go and get our drinks.” And with a quick peck to Serena’s lips, Bernie vanishes into the shop.

The mulled cider is indeed delicious, maybe even more so because they hold hands and take a walk along the brook running next to the village while drinking it. They return to the cottage, cheeks still glowing from the cold, put away their shopping and end up standing in front of the window overlooking the garden, Bernie’s arms slung around Serena’s waist, leaning against each other, both of them watching a bunch of birds flitting around the hedges and trees.

“This is lovely.” Bernie whispers, Serena humming in response. “Let’s do this more often.”

“Maybe come back here during summer? Or rent a cottage somewhere by the sea.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Bernie smiles, turns Serena around and maybe, maybe dinner will be a bit later today than planned, but neither of them will complain about it.

The next day brings crisp, sunny weather, and they decide to go for a walk. The countryside is beautiful and they both feel completely at peace, walking hand in hand past meadows, brooks, and splendid country houses. They pass through a small village, peering into quaint shop windows.

They come back to the cottage tired, but happy, and after a shared shower and a nap they have dinner at the local pub. It’s warm and lovingly decorated. They manage to get a table in a small nook for themselves, and Bernie is delighted when Serena comes back from the bar with a glass of red for herself in one hand, and a glass and a bottle of festive looking beer in the other.

“Look at this,” Serena smiles when she sets the bottle down in front of Bernie. “Some local brewery is making a Christmas beer. I thought you might want to give it a try, given that you didn’t have a coffee or anything else today.”

“Thanks, love.” Bernie takes the bottle, brushes her thumb through the condensation on the label and looks back up at Serena, sitting in front of her. 

For a moment it seems like time is standing still, both of them safely enclosed in their own world. Bernie feels unbelievably happy at the sight of Serena, at the realisation that, yes, this is really happening, this is her life now, feels all the love for Serena bubble up inside her and for a moment it is as if she can’t breathe, can’t move. Then Serena leans forward and takes her hand, a knowing smile on her face, all of her feelings openly displayed for Bernie to see. The touch of their hands anchors Bernie, makes her able to breathe again, squeeze Serena’s hand in reassurance.

Soon after their dinner arrives and the stew they both ordered with freshly baked bread is delicious, hearty enough for a December day, filling after a long walk, and so flavourful that they both eat more than they probably should. After another round of drinks, they pay and make their way back to the cottage, to end their day by falling asleep nestled into each other.

Sunday morning is spent in bed. They don’t regret it, don’t feel like they should go out and do something, see something. They wake, and after a while fall asleep again. Wake again and stay in bed just a bit longer. 

Around lunchtime Bernie’s stomach is growling rather loudly and both of them desperately need coffee. They go down to the kitchen in their pj’s and robes. Bernie starts to make pancakes with some local eggs and apples they bought, while Serena gets their coffee ready.

When they sit down to eat, Bernie stops short, coffee mug just beneath her nose. She sniffs at it, notices the mischievous smile on Serena's face, and raises an eyebrow at her.

“What have you done?” She asks, an amused undertone in her voice. Serena’s smile widens and she pulls a small bottle out of the pocket of her robe, places it in front of Bernie.

Bernie takes it, tries to read the label. She can hear Serena suppressing her laughter and gives her a stern look.

“You might give reading glasses another thought, love,” Serena says fondly.

Bernie just grumbles and squints at the bottle she’s now holding at arm's length. “After Eight coffee syrup?” she says, bemused.

“I saw it at Sainsbury’s and I thought I’d take it with us in case we couldn’t get you a proper holiday drink around here.”

Bernie perks up at that. “We were booked for three days. Have you got more of them?”

Serena shrugs her shoulders and gives her a smile.

“I might. But I won’t tell you. Who knows if there will be another emergency that might make you need my help.” They both chuckle and then Serena intertwines their fingers.

“Be prepared!” they both say in unison with a laugh.

Unfortunately their time at the cottage has already come to an end. After a needed, but better not shared shower, they pack up their things and make their way back home, vowing again to do this more often.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks @Wonko for organising another year of Secret Santa! Despite time suddenly flying and probably at least half the fandom experiencing anxiety over writing and posting schedules, it was also great fun to take part again!
> 
> Thanks @ktlsyrtis for being a wonderful beta for this.


End file.
